Defense in Jesse Matthew case asks to delay Fairfax trial

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) _ Defense lawyers are seeking to delay a trial scheduled in March for the man who is also charged with abducting University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. A hearing on the request for a continuance in the trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on charges of attempted murder and sexual assault has been scheduled for Friday. Public defenders representing Jesse Matthew of Charlottesville had hinted previously that they would need more time to prepare. Matthew is accused in Fairfax of grabbing a woman as she walked home from a grocery store in September 2005 and sexually assaulting her. He is charged separately with abducting Graham, who went missing in September and was later found dead. The Fairfax trial is currently scheduled for March 9.